midnight, often
For soprano, viola, and piano
Text by r.H Sin. Permission granted in 2021
Premiered June 27, 2021, at Longy School of Music by Mary Mackenzie, Sarah Darling, and Donald Berman for Divergent Studio.
Score
Purchase score here https://www.risingtidemusicpress.com/catalog/p/midnight-often
Duration
5 mins
Program Note
After coming across r.h Sin’s poetry in high school, I was immediately captivated by the beautiful simplicity of his work. It was powerful, yet honest, and he shared it on Instagram as a way to provide accessibility to his work.
Taking inspiration from r.h Sin’s book, Whisky Words and a Shovel, “midnight, often” depicts an evening of a person whose mind is filled with negative thoughts, trauma, and burden from a past relationship.
The piece begins with a dark and pensive atmosphere, reflecting the restless emotions of a sleepless night. After slowly changing into something more personal, painful, edgy, and explosive, “midnight, often” explores the weight of silence. Sometimes sound is absent, and sometimes silence amplifies the negative internal thoughts. With this piece, I wanted to amplify contemporary, relatable issues for people through concert music.